Present-day set top boxes commonly offer parental control capabilities that limit the content viewable by children in the household. Typically, these products implement a block by rating limit. Content that has a rating higher (more adult) than the set limit will not be viewable on the display. While this is an effective method, it can lead to a frustrating experience given the size of today's channel lineup. For example, if a parent sets a MPAA-G rating limit, the vast majority of channels would be blocked. In this environment, the child may encounter 10 blocked channels for every one allowed. Furthermore, the allowed channels might not be what the parent would recommend if they were sitting next to the child in the room.
There is a need in the art for a parental control solution which more closely mimics the parents guiding hand when the parent is not available.